Is it possible to find fun in fitness? For some, it seems like an oxymoron. For others, there is no better way to describe fitness.
Which category do you fall under?
I was always active in my younger years and throughout high school and college. In fact, I loved being in shape and working out. Once I got married hardships came one after the other, which is when depression kicked in and weight gain began. It was a vicious cycle that took nearly eight years to overcome.
A few years ago I was at a point in my life where the word fitness was practically banded from my vocabulary. The thought of it made me dread life even more than I already was. I had three kids under 3, suffered from depression, and was labeled obese by my doctors.
Nowhere in that lifestyle did I have a desire to find fun in fitness. I had gone to a doctor’s appointment and was told that if I didn’t make fitness a priority in my life that I wouldn’t be able to see my grandchildren grow and I would limit the opportunities my children could have growing up. That moment right there was a huge eye opener to me.
After leaving the doctor’s office that dreadful day I made a pack with myself that I would take my life back and get healthy solely for my children.
My goal was to be able to run next to my kids’ bike as they rode them, racing them down a pathway. That became my focus. In addition, as a constant reminder, I made a bracelet with each of their pictures on it and never took it off.
Shortly after that meeting with my doctor, my family and I moved to a new state, which opened new opportunities. My focus was on point and I had to learn how to be motivated again. Finding motivation is very challenging at times, but anyone can do it. (Click HERE for my tips on how to seek motivation once it is lost)
It was time to put fun in fitness. Music is where I go to find my happy place so I sought out a class I had heard so much about, Zumba®. Have you heard of that class before? The first few weeks I felt like a whale fish out of water. Uncoordinated, insecure, and lost, I somehow still found myself starting to have fun and looking forward to the next class.
As days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months a passion for Zumba grew inside of me and my life was forever changed. I was losing weight, leaving the gym happy, and pushing myself in ways I never knew a dance class could push me.
By allowing myself to shut off my insecurities and focus on a little “me” time, I found fun in fitness and my life took a complete 180. After a year of doing Zumba I went from a size 18 to a size 2/4 pant. I wasn’t dieting, I was dancing. I still loved drinking soda and eating Oreos, in fact I still do, but once you start finding fun in fitness you start taking better care of yourself.
I became a certified Zumba instructor in 2012 and haven’t looked back. Now instead of sitting on the sidelines watching and wishing I could be active with my kids, I am dancing with them. Dancing lets me release my mind of my stresses and be whatever the music moves me to be. It lets me be free and I love the feeling of freedom.
I have only a few simple rules for my students when teaching Zumba:
#1) Get out of your head.
Can’t have fun and let the music move you if you are too worried about what others may think of you…truth be told, NO ONE is looking at you unless you are in the front row, and if you are concerned about that, chances are, you wouldn’t be caught dead in the front row.
#2) You only get what you give.
You want to work hard, sweat hard, and have fun? Then get it, and don’t hold back! Don’t give up on yourself too soon. It takes time to learn new things, and dancing is certainly no exception to that rule. Push yourself as hard as you can, as long as you can and you will see your hard work pay off.
Now that you have taken a journey with me, let me take you on a journey! Turn up the volume, relax your mind, and give yourself four minutes of dancing freedom. Do what you can do, just let the music move you! To find a Zumba class near you visit my website, here.
Once you have watched and danced to the video, please leave a comment sharing how you let the music move you.
Leave a Reply